School districts, in general, strive to create a well-balanced kindergarten program that focuses on four critical areas of a child’s development. Preschool educators, parents, and caregivers thinking about how to prepare children for kindergarten should concentrate on expanding skills in all four areas.
Social development
Emotional development
Physical development
Academic development
BEFORE KINDERGARTEN
Because the curricular demands of kindergarten have increased substantially in the past several years, it is important to a child’s success that he or she comes to school ready to learn. Although, in theory, kindergarten is the beginning of our formal schooling process, the reality is that without any preparation children may struggle with the high learning expectations. Some academic skills that preschool educators, parents, and caregivers can work on before the child comes to kindergarten include:
Identifying letters (both upper and lower case, not in order)
Writing first name the “kindergarten way” (upper case and lower case letters)
Practicing correct pencil grip
Counting and quantity
Other important readiness activities include:
Providing frequent opportunities for socializing with other children
Reading stories daily so children can practice sitting and listening for about ten minutes
Providing experience coloring and drawing
Dressing children in clothing/shoes that they can handle independently
Encouraging your child to use pencils, crayons, glue and scissors
Practicing interactive reading—when reading a story together stop to ask questions about the pictures, predict what will happen next, or guess how the story will end
Singing songs and play rhyming games
Start your child off right in school by establishing good attendance habits in kindergarten
KINDERGARTEN EXPECTATIONS
Kindergarten has changed! The expectations for what children will be able to do at the end of kindergarten have increased dramatically. It is important that preschool educators, parents and caregivers understand the standards for their school district.
Many school districts offer some type of kindergarten screening, usually in the spring prior to school starting. The screening will provide valuable information about your child for school personnel. Typical kindergarten screenings include:
School districts, in general, strive to create a well-balanced kindergarten program that focuses on four critical areas of a child’s development. Preschool educators, parents, and caregivers thinking about how to prepare children for kindergarten should concentrate on expanding skills in all four areas.
BEFORE KINDERGARTEN
Because the curricular demands of kindergarten have increased substantially in the past several years, it is important to a child’s success that he or she comes to school ready to learn. Although, in theory, kindergarten is the beginning of our formal schooling process, the reality is that without any preparation children may struggle with the high learning expectations. Some academic skills that preschool educators, parents, and caregivers can work on before the child comes to kindergarten include:
Other important readiness activities include:
KINDERGARTEN EXPECTATIONS
Kindergarten has changed! The expectations for what children will be able to do at the end of kindergarten have increased dramatically. It is important that preschool educators, parents and caregivers understand the standards for their school district.
What are children expected to read at the end of kindergarten?
What are children expected to do in math at the end of kindergarten?
KINDERGARTEN SCREENING
Many school districts offer some type of kindergarten screening, usually in the spring prior to school starting. The screening will provide valuable information about your child for school personnel. Typical kindergarten screenings include: